WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) joined AARP Minnesota State Director Cathy McLeer on a telephone town hall with thousands of AARP members in Minnesota to discuss barriers to accessing Social Security, Medicaid, food assistance and affordable prescription drugs.

“I just believe that when you are retired, you should be able to live with dignity. When you have a health care issue after working your whole life, you should be able to get proper health care. And of course, you should be able to get your Social Security and be able to have phones be answered when you call,” said Klobuchar.

“AARP is in your corner, fighting for issues that matter to you, including protecting that hard earned Social Security and achieving some common sense solutions that will help Minnesota unpaid family caregivers both save time and money and, of course, protect seniors’ access to health care and long term care,” said Cathy McLeer, State Director of AARP Minnesota.

Klobuchar noted that the passage of her Empowering Medicare Seniors to Negotiate Drug Prices Act demonstrated how progress on these bipartisan policies is still possible, and outlined how to strengthen social security.

“That should give you some hope that good things do happen. They happen when people stand up, regardless of political ideology. And that's what we need to do right now on Social Security. I have supported more funding for the Social Security Administration to reduce wait times. And to ensure Social Security solvency indefinitely… I have called for allowing for the Social Security tax to be assessed on people making over $400,000 a year,” said Klobuchar. “We can do all this. It just means that the most wealthy among us – they have to pay a little more in taxes that they can afford.”

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